20 Easy Birthday Cake Recipes That Will Impress Your Friends and Family

Taking on the task of picking out the perfect birthday cake recipe to make can be intimidating. You want to choose a recipe that's special, but quick and easy enough to make that you can pull it off and wow the birthday boy or girl. Thankfully, there are more than a few easy birthday cake recipes you can make from scratch without overwhelming yourself.

Whether you keep things simple and sweet with a classic vanilla cake, test your baking prowess with a lemon poppy seed cake with strawberries, or delight a young birthday boy or girl with a snake cake, there are a slew of classic and unusual dessert recipes to choose from on our list. And if you're still feeling intimidated at the thought of making a large cake, you can dip your toes in the baking water by trying out a few cupcake recipes too.

Yes, birthday presents are great and birthday cards can be incredibly thoughtful, but nothing says "I love you and I'm so glad you were born" like a show-stopping birthday cake, including but certainly not limited to the following easy-to-bake types of cake.